We dealt with jealousy in the perspective of a self-evaluation maintenance
theory which emphasizes the importance of rivals and their characteristics
in view of the self-concept of individuals. If our study replicates 1996 re
sults of DeSteno and Salovey, the finding would support the hypothesis that
jealousy is a specific process for maintenance of self-evaluation, Thus, a
participant should report greater jealousy when the domain of a rival's ac
hievements was one of high self-relevance for the participant. Support for
this hypothesis was found under one condition. The relevance of a rival's d
omain to the participant's self-definition influenced intensity of experien
ced jealousy only if the domain was a central professional skill (of prospe
ctive teachers, namely, "the ability to handle children well"). Consequentl
y, the relevance of the other domains used by DeSteno and Salovey (1996)-in
telligence, popularity, athleticism-is not of unlimited validity. In contra
st to DeSteno and Salovey, sex differences were significant.